Tapered jugular stents for vascular interventions, and systems and devices thereof

Abstract

Embodiments described herein relate to a stent for vascular interventions. The stent may be used for jugular vein interventions. The stent addresses challenges inherent to the jugular vein by incorporating adaptability, sizing versatility, and a self-expanding mechanism. In some embodiments, the stent may include Nitinol for biocompatibility. In some embodiments, the stent includes a tapered body and may be configured to have a diameter corresponding to a diameter of a jugular vein of a patient. In some embodiments, the stent may include open-cell and/or closed-cell geometries. In some embodiments, the stent may include peak-to-valley (PTV) and helical bridge connections between cells.

The invention claimed is: 
     
       1. A stent, comprising:
 an elongate body configured to be disposed in an internal jugular vein (IJV) of a patient, the elongate body configured to transition from a delivery configuration to a deployed configuration when implanted in the IJV, the elongate body defining a lumen configured to allow blood to flow therethrough, the elongate body including: 
 a distal end portion configured to expand to a first diameter against a first portion of a wall of the IJV and having a first rigidity; 
 a proximal end portion configured to expand to a second diameter against a second portion of the wall of the IJV and having a second rigidity sufficient to anchor the proximal end portion against the second portion of the wall of the IJV, the second rigidity greater than the first rigidity, the proximal end portion having a length between about 3 centimeters (cm) and about 7 cm; and 
 a central portion disposed between the proximal end portion and the distal end portion, the central portion tapering from the proximal end portion the distal end portion when the elongate body is in the deployed configuration. 
 
     
     
       2. The stent of  claim 1 , wherein the second rigidity is greater than a rigidity of the second portion of the wall of the IJV. 
     
     
       3. The stent of  claim 1 , wherein the distal end portion having the first rigidity is configured to expand against the first portion of the wall of the IJV closer to a head of the patient, the distal end portion configured to deform according the first portion of the wall of the IJV to prevent compression of one or more nerves near the first portion of the wall of the IJV at a location of the distal end portion. 
     
     
       4. The stent of  claim 1 , wherein the elongate body has a total length in the deployed configuration such that, when disposed in the IJV, the distal end portion is vertically aligned with a C1 vertebrae of the patient. 
     
     
       5. The stent of  claim 1 , wherein at least a portion of the stent is configured to bend up to about 40 degrees. 
     
     
       6. The stent of  claim 1 , wherein the stent is pre-shaped to have a spiral configuration in which the stent has a spiral shape with a pitch of about 5 degrees to about 45 degrees. 
     
     
       7. The stent of  claim 6 , wherein the stent is configured to be disposed in a right IJV or a left IJV by the spiral shape twisting in a first direction or a second direction, the second direction being opposite the first direction. 
     
     
       8. The stent of  claim 1 , wherein the stent, when disposed in the IJV, is configured to be torqued to an angle of at least about 5 degrees in at least one of a clockwise or counterclockwise direction. 
     
     
       9. The stent of  claim 1 , wherein the elongate body includes a plurality of annular structures, each annular structure including a plurality of struts, each annular structure coupled to an adjacent annular structure by one or more connection members, a peak-to-peak distance between adjacent annular structures in the distal end portion is smaller than a peak-to-peak distance between adjacent annular structures in the proximal end portion. 
     
     
       10. The stent of  claim 9 , wherein a width of the plurality of struts of annular structures in the proximal end portion is greater than a width of the plurality of struts of annular structures in the distal end portion. 
     
     
       11. A stent, comprising:
 an elongate body configured to be disposed in an internal jugular vein (IJV) of a patient, the elongate body defining a lumen configured to allow blood to flow therethrough, the elongate body configured to expand from a first configuration to a second configuration, the elongate body when disposed in the IJV and in the second configuration including: 
 a distal end portion configured to be positioned to be vertically aligned with a portion of a C1 vertebra, the distal end portion having a first length and a first diameter; 
 a proximal end portion configured to be positioned near a jugular valve of the patient, the proximal end portion having a second length greater than the first length and a second diameter greater than the first diameter, the second length and the second diameter configured to anchor the proximal end portion against a wall of the IJV; and 
 a central portion disposed between the proximal end portion andthe distal end portion, the central portion tapering from the second diameter the first diameter over a third length when the elongate body is in the second configuration, the second length being greater than the third length up to about 3.5 times a value of the third length. 
 
     
     
       12. The stent of  claim 11 , wherein the second diameter is between about 10 mm and about 20 mm. 
     
     
       13. The stent of  claim 11 , wherein the second diameter is between about 3 mm and about 12 mm. 
     
     
       14. The stent of  claim 11 , wherein the first length is between about 0.5 cm and about 3 cm, and the second length is between about 4 cm and about 6 cm. 
     
     
       15. The stent of  claim 11 , wherein the third length is smaller greater than the first length and greater than the second length. 
     
     
       16. The stent of  claim 11 , wherein the proximal distal end portion has a first rigidity and the distal proximal end portion has a second rigidity lower greater than the first rigidity. 
     
     
       17. The stent of  claim 11 , wherein at least a portion of the stent is configured to bend up to about 40 degrees. 
     
     
       18. The stent of  claim 11 , wherein the stent is pre-shaped to have a spiral configuration in which the stent has a spiral shape with a pitch of about 5 degrees to about 45 degrees. 
     
     
       19. The stent of  claim 11 , wherein the stent, when disposed in the IJV, is configured to be torqued to an angle of at least about 5 degrees in at least one of a clockwise or counterclockwise direction. 
     
     
       20. The stent of  claim 11 , wherein the third length is between about 2 cm and about 6 cm. 
     
     
       21. A stent, comprising:
 an elongate body configured to be implanted in an internal jugular vein (IJV) of a patient, the elongate body defining a lumen configured to allow blood to flow therethrough, the elongate body having a total length between about 5 cm and about 11 cm, the elongate body including: 
 a distal end portion having a first diameter when the elongate body is in a deployed configuration, the distal end portion including a first set of annular structures and a first set of connection members, each annular structure of the first set of annular structures including a plurality of struts and being coupled to adjacent annular structures by one or more connection members of the first set of connection members, and adjacent annular structures of the first set of annular structures being disposable at a first range of peak-to-peak distances from each other; and 
 a proximal end portion having a second diameter when the elongate body is in the deployed configuration, the proximal end portion having a length between about 3 cm and about 7 cm, the proximal end portion including a second set of annular structures and a second set of connection members, each annular structure of the second set of annular structures including a plurality of struts being coupled to adjacent annular structures by one or more connection members of the second set of connection members, and adjacent annular structures of the second set of annular structures being disposable at a second range of peak-to-peak distances from each other; and 
 a central portion tapering from the second diameter to the first diameter when the elongate body is in the deployed configuration; 
 wherein an average of the second range of peak-to-peak distances is larger than an average of the first range of peak-to-peak distances, and a width of the plurality of struts of the second set of annular structures is greater than a width of the plurality of struts of the first set of annular structures. 
 
     
     
       22. The stent of  claim 21 , wherein the proximal distal end portion has a first length and the length of the proximal end portion is greater than the first length. 
     
     
       23. The stent of  claim 21 , wherein the distal end portion has a first rigidity and the proximal end portion has a second rigidity greater than the first rigidity. 
     
     
       24. The stent of  claim 21 , wherein at least a portion of the elongate body is configured be torqued to an angle of at least about 5 degrees in at least one of a clockwise or counterclockwise direction. 
     
     
       25. The stent of  claim 21 , wherein at least a portion of the elongate body is configured be bent up to about 40 degrees. 
     
     
       26. The stent of  claim 21 , wherein the stent is pre-shaped to have a spiral configuration in which the stent has a spiral shape with a pitch of about 5 degrees to about 45 degrees. 
     
     
       27. The stent of  claim 21 , wherein the distal end portion of the elongate body is configured to be aligned with a C1 vertebrae of the patient in the deployed configuration.